The Cell Game
by The Chuckinator
Summary: After years of searching, Goku has found The One, Son Gohan. Now Gohan must embrace his destiny and defeat the agents of The Cell Game. A crossover of Dragon Ball Z and The Matrix.
1. Agents

The Cell Game

Chapter 1: Agents

In a building, a woman sat at a desk, talking on a phone. "Is everything in place?"

A man answered on the other line, "You weren't supposed to relieve me."

"I know, but I felt like taking a shift."

"We're going to kill him. Do you understand that? He's going to die just like all the others."

"Goku believes he is The One."

"Do you?"

"I... it doesn't matter what I believe."

"You don't, do you?"

"If you have something to say, I suggest you say it to Goku."

"I intend to, believe me. Someone has to."

The woman heard a sound, a pop, on the phone. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" the man answered.

"Are you sure this line is clean?"

"Yeah, of course I'm sure."

"I better go." The woman hung up the phone and started typing on the keyboard.

In the alley, a black car rolled up. Three androids got out of the car and walked towards the lieutenant. "Lieutenant?" One android said. "You were given specific orders."

"I'm just doing my job," he answered. "I think we can handle one little girl. I sent two units. They're bringing her down now."

"No, Lieutenant, your men are already dead," The android smirked and walked off.

Inside the building, the policeman were putting handcuffs on the woman when she kicked out her legs, sending the cop flying back against the wall. The police opened fire, bullets raking the wall. She snatched a gun in one cop's hand, and fired it, killing every cop. The woman took out her cell phone and called a number.

A voice answered on the other line, "Operator."

"Goku! The line was traced! I don't know how."

"I know. They cut the hardline. This line is not a viable exit." Goku sounded calm.

"Are there any androids?"

"Yes. Four."

"Darn!"

"You have to focus, Videl. There is a phone. You can make it. Go."

Videl dropped the phone and burst out the room just as an android entered the hall, leading another unit of police. She raced to the opposite end, exiting through a broken window onto the fire escape and up onto the roof. The android and police followed her. She began to jump from one roof to the next, landing in a glass window, and tumbled down the stairs.

"Come out! I know you're there!" The android said, ready to fire a _chi_ blast.

Videl said to herself, "Get up, Videl. You're fine. Get up - just get up!

She stood, limped down the rest of the stairs, and emerged from the alley to see a phone ringing. Across the street, a garbage truck suddenly made a U-turn, accelerating fast. Videl saw the headlights of the truck arcing at the telephone booth.

She ran in the phone booth and answered the phone just as the truck crashed into the booth. After a moment, the android stepped out, followed by the other two, and inspected the wreckage. Videl was gone.

"She got out," the Agent 17 said.

"It doesn't matter," Agent Cell said.

"The informant is real," Agent 18 said.

Cell smiled. "Yes."

"We have the name of their next target. The name is Gohan."

"We'll need a search running."

Agent 17 reached up and touched his earpiece. "It's already begun."


	2. Gohan

Chapter 2: Gohan

A young man sat at his desk, head down, asleep. The computer screen went black and he awoke, looking at the screen. There were words appearing on it.

"Wake up, Gohan. The Cell Game has you. Follow the white rabbit." The first three messages said.

Gohan hit the escape button, trying to get rid of the messages. "What the heck…?"

Another message appeared. "Knock knock."

Someone knocks on his door and he almost jumped out of his chair. He looked back at the computer, but the screen was now blank. Gohan rose, still unnerved.

"Who is it?"

"It's Goten."

"Be right there."

Gohan got out of his chair and unlocked the door. Goten was standing there with a bunch of his friends.

"You're late."

"I know. It's her fault." Goten pointed to a girl next to him.

"You got the money?"

"Right here. Two grand."

Gohan closed the door and took a disk out of a book. He handed it to Goten. "If anyone catches you with that…"

"Yeah, man, I know. You don't exist."

Gohan ignored him and asked, "Have you ever felt like you're not sure if you're awake or still dreaming?"

"Yeah. All the time. You sound like you need to unplug, get some R&R."

"I don't know. I have to work tomorrow."

"C'mon, it'll be fun," said the girl.

Gohan then noticed a white rabbit tattoo on her shoulder. He thought back to that message, _follow the white rabbit_. He sighed. "Fine. I'll come."

* * *

Gohan was standing in a club when a young woman came up to him. "Hello, Gohan."

"How do you know my name?" He asked suspiciously.

"I know a lot about you. I've wanted to meet you for some time."

"Who are you?" Gohan asked.

"My name is Videl, and right now, all I can tell you is that you are in danger. I brought you here to warn you."

"Danger? From what?"

"They're watching you, Gohan."

"Who is?"

"Please, Gohan. Just listen. I know why you're here. I know what you've been doing. I know why you hardly sleep, why you live alone and why, night after night, you sit at your computer. You're looking for him. I know because I was once looking for the same thing, but when he found me he told me I wasn't really looking for him. I was looking for an answer."

Gohan breathed, "What is the Cell Game?"

Videl smiled and brought her body close to his, whispering in his ear, "When I asked him, he said that no one could ever be told the answer to that question. They have to see it to believe it. The answer is out there, Gohan. It's looking for you and it will find you, if you want it to." She turned and walked away.


	3. The Phone Call

Chapter 3: The Phone Call

Gohan woke up, his alarm beeping. "Darn it! I'm late for work!" He raced to Capsule Corp, and went up to his office. Trunks Briefs came up to him. He wasn't happy to see Gohan late…again.

"You have a problem with authority, Mr. Son. You believe that you are special, that somehow the rules do not apply to you. Obviously, you are mistaken. This company is one of the top software companies in the world because every single employee understands that they are a part of a whole. Thus, if an employee has a problem, the company has a problem. The time has come to make a choice, Mr. Son. Either you choose to be at your desk on time from this day forth, or you choose to find yourself another job. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Briefs. Perfectly clear." He sat at his desk and found a phone on it. It rang, and he picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Gohan. Do you know who this is?" The voice was unmistakable.

Gohan's knees gave way and he sank into the chair. "Goku…"

"I've been looking for you, Gohan. I don't know if you're ready to see what I want to show you, but unfortunately, we have run out of time. They're coming for you, Gohan. And I'm not sure what they're going to do."

"Who's coming for me?"

"Stand up and see for yourself."

Gohan stood up and saw the androids. He ducked.

"Oh, shit!"

"Yes."

"What the hell do they want with me?"

"I'm not sure, but if you don't want to find out, you better get out of there. I can guide you out, but you have to do exactly what I say."

The androids started to move towards the desk.

"The desk across from you is empty. Go! Now!"

Gohan ran to the other desk.

"Stay here. When I tell you, go to the end of the row to the first office on the left, stay as low as you can."

Gohan ran out and sneaked down the row, going in the first door on the left. The room is empty.

Goku gave him more instructions. "Outside is a scaffold. You can use it to get to the roof. It's a short climb, you can make it. There are only two ways out of this building. One is that scaffold. The other is in their custody. You take a chance either way. I leave it to you." He hung up.

Just then, a cop came in the door. He handcuffed Gohan and took him outside, into the black car.


	4. Meeting Goku

Chapter 4: Meeting Goku

Gohan was in an interrogation room. Agent Cell came in and sat down, holding a file labeled "Son, Gohan."

"As you can see, we've been studying you for some time now, Mr. Son." He opened the file and brought out several pages. "It seems that you have been living two lives. In one life, you are Son Gohan, scholar for a respectable technology company. You have a social security number, and you pay your taxes. The other life is lived in martial arts where you go by the fighter alias The Great Saiyaman, and are guilty of virtually every fighting crime we have a law for. One of them has a future. The other does not." He closes the file. "I'm going to be as frank as I can be, Mr. Son. We know that you have been contacted by a certain individual; a man who calls himself Goku." He leaned closer. "It is obvious that you are an intelligent man, Mr. Son, and that you are interested in the future. That is why I believe you are ready to put your past mistakes behind you and get on with your life."

"Well, I have a better idea. How about…no."

Cell leaned back. "You are going to help us, Mr. Son, whether you want to or not." Gohan screamed—and woke up at home. The phone rang, and he picked it up.

"This line is tapped so I must be brief," Goku said.

"The Agents."

"They got to you first, but they've underestimated how important you are. If they knew what I know, you would probably be dead."

"What are you talking about? What the heck is happening to me?"

"You're The One, Gohan. You may have spent the last few years looking for me, but I've spent most of my life looking for you. Do you still want to meet?"

"Yes."

"Then go to the Karin Temple."

* * *

Gohan went to the temple, climbed it, and waited. Goku came out of a door. "At last. Welcome, Gohan. As you might have already guessed, I am Goku."

"Why am I here?" Gohan asked.

Goku leaned forward. "Let me tell you why you are here. You have come because you know something. What you know you can't explain but you feel it. You've felt it your whole life, felt that something is wrong with the world. You don't know what, but it's there like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"The Cell Game."

"Do you want to know what it is?"

Gohan nodded.

"It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

"What truth?"

"That you are a slave, Gohan. Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Cell Game is. You have to see it for yourself."

Goku lead Gohan into a room. "This is the Room of Spirit and Time. You will learn to train here, away from the androids."

"Androids?"

"Yes. We don't know who started the war, but we do know it was us who scorched Dr. Gero's laboratory. We thought the androids needed chemicals to survive. We were wrong. Gero created a weapon: Cell. From there, the Cell Game was born. Cell absorbs human energy to survive, but in order to become complete, he must absorb Agents 17 and 18. However, since he is an agent of the Cell Game, he cannot. What is the Cell Game? Control. The Cell Game is a computer-generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this." He held up a battery.

Gohan was in shock. "No! I don't believe it! It's not possible!"

"I didn't say that it would be easy, Gohan. I just said that it would be the truth."

"Don't touch me! Get away from me! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" He fell to the floor and lost consciousness.


	5. Training

Chapter 5: Training

Gohan regained consciousness and sat up on his bed. "I can't go back, can I?"

"No," said Goku. "But if you could, would you really want to?" He paused. "I feel that I owe you an apology. There is a rule that we do not free a mind once it reaches a certain age. It is dangerous. They have trouble letting go. Their mind turns against them. I've seen it happen. I'm sorry. I broke the rule because I had to." He went by Gohan's bed and sat down. "When the Cell Game was first built there was a man born inside that had the ability to change what he wanted, to remake the Cell Game as he saw fit. It was this man that freed the first of us and taught us the truth; as long as the Cell Game exists, the human race will never be free. When he died, Kami prophesied his return and envisioned that his coming would hail the destruction of the Cell Game, an end to the war and freedom for our people. That is why there are those of us that have spent our entire lives searching the Cell Game, looking for him. I did what I did because I believe the search is over," He looked at Gohan. "Get some rest. You're going to need it."

"For what?"

"For your training."

Goku and Gohan walked into the Room of Spirit and Time and were met with white light that faded and replaced with a dojo. "This is a sparring program, similar to the programmed reality of the Cell Game. It has the same basic rules, like gravity. What you must learn is that these rules are no different than the rules of a computer system. Some of them can be bent. Others can be broken. Understand?" Goku held out a hand and beckoned to Gohan. Gohan lunged, but Goku easily blocked the punch. Gohan punched and kicked furiously, but Goku blocked and dodged it completely. "Come on, Gohan. What are you waiting for? You're faster than this. Don't think you are. Know you are." WHAM. Gohan lets out a _chi_ blast that hit Goku straight in the jaw, some blood coming out of his mouth. Goku rubbed the blood off his face and smiled. "Good. I think that's enough." The white space returned, and they walked off.

Videl entered Gohan's room, carrying a tray of food. "Gohan, I brought out some—" She saw him on his bed, fast asleep. She set the tray down and walked out of the room to find Vegeta standing there.

"There's something about him, isn't there? I just keep wondering if Goku is so sure, why doesn't he take him to Kami? He would know."

"Goku will take him when he's ready." She turned and walked away.

* * *

In the Cell Game, Cell was talking to Vegeta. "Do we have a deal, then?"

"All right. You reinsert me into the Cell Game and I'll get you what you want. I don't have them. But I can give you the man who does."

Cell smiled. "Goku."


	6. The Trap

Chapter 6: The Trap

Goku was taking Gohan to see Kami. They went to Kami's lookout. "So is this the same Kami that made the, uh, prophecy?"

"Yes. He's very old. He's been with us since the beginning."

"What did he tell you?"

"That I would find The One."

Gohan went in. An old Namek was sitting in a chair. "You're Kami?"

"Yes. You're Gohan. You know why Goku brought you to see me?"

Gohan nodded.

"So, you think you're The One?"

Gohan shrugged his shoulders.

Kami got up and looked at his palms.

"Sorry, kid. You're not The One. You got the gift, but it looks like you're waiting for something. Without Goku, we're lost."

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this?"

Gohan nodded.

"Goku believes in you, Gohan, and no one, not you or even me can convince him otherwise. He believes it so blindly that he's going to sacrifice his life to save yours. You're going to have to make a choice. In one hand, you will have Goku's life. In the other hand, you will have your own. One of you is going to die. Which one, will be up to you."

Gohan thanked him and walked away.

* * *

Back at the building, Gohan saw a black cat run past and then another one just like it.

"Whoa. Deja vu."

The others stopped in their tracks.

"What did you say?" Videl asked nervously.

"Nothing; just a little deja vu."

"What did you see?"

"A black cat went past us and then I saw another that looked just like it."

"How much like it? Was it the same cat?"

"It might have been. I'm not sure. What is it?" Gohan asked. He sensed that Videl was listening intently to something.

"A deja vu is a glitch in the Cell Game. It happens when they change something." Videl heard the beat of a helicopter coming closer.

In the Karin Temple, Piccolo saw what changed. "Oh, shit! It's a trap!"

Goku looked up the stairs and also heard the helicopter. "Come on!" He ran up the stairs and then stopped, hearing police swarming below. He turned and rushed down the hall of the eighth floor. At the end of it, he found the bricked-up windows.

"That's what they've changed. We're trapped; there's no way out!" Vegeta yelled.

Cell came in the apartment. "They're on the eighth floor." He nodded to Agents 17 and 18. They ran up to the eighth floor and saw Goku, Gohan and Videl. Vegeta was nowhere in sight.

Goku saw Cell and fired a _chi_ bolt at him. Cell deflected it, and Goku lunged on top of him. "Videl! Take Gohan and run! Now!"

Gohan saw what was happening. "We can't leave him!"

"We have to," Videl said.

Cell and Goku remained on the ground.

"The great Goku. We meet at last."

"And you're Cell."

Androids 17 and 18 rush into the room. "Take him," Cell ordered.


	7. Traitor

Chapter 7: Traitor

Gohan and Videl were searching for an exit from the lookout when they got a phone call from Piccolo. "Videl, it's me. Goku is alive. They're moving him. I don't know where yet. Come back to the Karin Temple." Piccolo hung up, and was confronted by Vegeta. "What are you...?" Vegeta attacked him with a punch, and he fell to the ground. Vegeta took out the phone and called Videl.

"Hello, Videl."

"Vegeta? Where's Piccolo?"

"He had an..._accident_."

"WHAT? You killed them. Why?"

"I'm tired, Videl. I'm tired of this war, I'm tired of fighting. But most of all, I'm tired of his bullshit."

"My God. Goku. You gave them Goku."

"What?" Gohan went pale. "That..."

"He lied to us, Videl! He tricked us!" Vegeta spoke harshly.

"That's not true, Vegeta. He freed us..."

"Free. Free? You call this FREE? All I do is what he tells me to do. If I have to choose between that and the Cell Game, I choose the Cell Game."

"The Cell Game isn't real!"

"Oh, I disagree, Videl. I disagree. I think the Cell Game can be more real than this world. But...No! I don't believe it!" he exclaimed as Piccolo got up.

"Believe it or not, you're still going to burn. LIGHT OF DEATH!" Piccolo shot a beam out of his fingertips that hit Vegeta in the chest, knocking him backwards into a wall. A trickle of blood went down his face. Piccolo checked his pulse and knew he was dead.

Gohan and Videl got to the tower just in time. "You're hurt."

"I'll be all right."


	8. Gohan's Choice

Chapter 8: Gohan's Choice

Cell was looking out the window at the city. Goku was behind him, strapped to a chair, stripped to the waist. He was wired to various monitors with white disk electrodes. Beside him, Number 17 sucks a serum from a glass vial, filling a hypodermic needle.

"Did you know that the first Cell Game was designed to be a perfect human world? It was a disaster. No one would accept the program," said Cell.

Number 17 jabbed the needle into Goku's shoulder and plunged down.

Cell sat down directly in front of Goku just as Number 18 came in. "There could be a problem."

* * *

Back in the Karin Temple, Gohan looked at Piccolo. "What are they doing to him?"

"They're draining his _chi_, making it easier to break into his mind. When they do, he'll tell them everything he knows."

"What do they want from him?"

"The codes to the Karin Temple. If they get inside, they could destroy us."

"That can't happen; I won't let it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Kami told me this would happen. He said that I would have to make a choice."

"What choice?"

Gohan walked to the Room of Spirit and Time. "I'm going in."

"Gohan, you can't. That building is very tight in security. There are three androids in there. This is suicide."

"No, it's not. I have to go."

"Why?"

"Because I believe I can bring him back."

Videl walked with him. "I'm coming with you."

* * *

Back in the office, Cell sat over Goku. "I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area."

He leaned forward.

"There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus." He smiled. "Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You are a plague. And we… are the cure."

* * *

Gohan and Videl were standing in the Room of Spirit and Time. Piccolo voiced over the intercom, "What do you need?"

Gohan looked around. "Guns; lots of guns."

Piccolo hit load and the Room of Spirit and Time filled with guns.

Videl looked at Gohan. "No one has ever done anything like this."

"That's why it's going to work."


	9. The Rescue

Chapter 9: The Rescue

Gohan and Videl walked in the building, wearing fighting clothes. They took the briefcase and passed through a metal detector, which went off immediately. A security guard stopped them immediately.

"Would you please remove any metallic items you are carrying: keys, loose change—"

Gohan slowly set down his duffel bag and threw open his coat, revealing an arsenal of guns, knives and grenades slung from a climbing harness.

"Holy shit!"

Gohan punched the guard so fast that he went flying into the wall. Another guard took cover, clutching his radio. "Backup! We need backup!"

The backup arrived. A wave of soldiers blocked the elevators. The concrete cavern of the lobby became a white noise roar of gunfire. Slate walls and pillars pock, crack, and crater under a hail storm of explosive-tipped bullets. They are met by the quivering spit of a sub-hand machine gun and the whistle of throwing knives. Bodies slumped down to the marbled floor.

* * *

In the office, Numbers 17 and 18 burst into the room.

"What are you doing?" Cell asked.

"There's trouble, sir. I think they're trying to save him."

Cell was not pleased. "Find them and destroy them!"

* * *

Gohan and Videl reached the elevator and Videl opens the suitcase. Inside was a bomb. Gohan hit the emergency stop and pulled down part of the false ceiling and finds the elevator shaft access panel. He clamped onto the elevator cable and they both locked on. He whipped out his gun and pressed it to the cable. The cable snapped and the counter-weights plummeted, yanking Videl and Gohan up through the shaft as the elevator fell away beneath them. The elevator hit the bottom and exploded.

Videl and Gohan were getting onto the roof when Number 17 appeared. Videl looked shocked, and fired. The android dodged every one of them at an incredible speed. He lifted his hand and fired _chi _bolts at Gohan, who dodged them, but one hit his shoulder. Number 17 appeared in front of him, his hand raised.

"Only human."

He was about to shoot when he heard the click of a gun. He whirled around and saw Videl's gun pointed straight at his head.

"Dodge this," she said and fired. Number 17 flew back against the wall. She helped Gohan up. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"You move like they do; I've never seen anyone move so fast."

Gohan looked at his shoulder. "It wasn't fast enough."

* * *

Back in the office, Number 17 threw open the door and entered. Cell looked to the window and saw a helicopter come into view. Gohan was aiming a machine gun straight at him.

"No."

Gohan fired, and the three agents fell.

Goku opened his eyes, rising from his chair and ran past. Cell came in and aimed his hand at Goku. The _chi _blasts his Goku in the leg, knocking him off balance just as he dived for the window.

"He's not going to make it," Gohan said. He wrapped the harness around him and jumped toward Goku, their bodies colliding as Gohan caught him. Cell was firing at the helicopter. It started to fall, but Videl jumped out onto the top of a building, firing at the cord as it snapped. Goku and Gohan started to fall, but landed on top of the building.

Goku took out a phone and called Piccolo. "We're on our way back to Karin Temple."

The door swung open as Cell, 17 and 18 stepped out. Goku, Gohan and Videl were gone.

"The trace was completed, sir." 17 said.

"We have their position," 18 replied.

Cell grimaced. "They're not out yet."


	10. Cell vs Gohan

Chapter 10: Cell vs. Gohan

Goku, Gohan and were getting in the helicopter and started to fly back toward the Karin Temple when Cell appeared, firing a _chi _blast straight at her. Videl dodged it and got into the helicopter, along with Goku. Gohan stayed behind and they took off.

Cell stared at Gohan. "Mr. Son."

Gohan started to run, but then stopped. He turned around and faced Cell. They stared at each other for a minute and then started firing _chi_ blasts at each other. Agent Cell's face warped with rage and he attacked, fists flying at furious speed, blows and counters. Behind him, Gohan leaped into the air, delivering a neck snapping reverse round-house. Cell glared at Gohan; his eyes ice blue.

"I'm going to enjoy watching you die, Mr. Son." He attacked, his fists hammering into Gohan. Cell grabbed hold of him, lifting him into the air and slammed him down on top of the building.

"Do you hear that, Mr. Son?" he said as he grabbed Gohan into a choke-hold. "That is the sound of inevitability, the sound of your death." Cell tightened his hold. "Goodbye, Mr. Son."

Gohan felt angry. "My name…is Gohan!" He threw Cell off him and into a rock.

Cell got up and ran at Gohan. Gohan tried to run, but Cell was too fast. He raised his hand and fired _chi_ bolts at Gohan. They hit his chest and went through him. Gohan looked down and saw blood coming from his chest. His vision grew fuzzy and fell to the ground, dead.


	11. The One

Chapter 11: The One

Back at the Karin Temple, Goku, Piccolo and Videl were watching Gohan and Cell fight and gasped as Cell fired _chi_ blasts into Gohan's chest. Gohan fell to the ground.

"Goku, he's in trouble. I'm going over to help," Videl said.

She went into the Room of Spirit and Time. A white light enveloped her and she was gone.

* * *

Back on top of the roof, Cell laughed as Gohan fell. Agent 17 and 18 came towards him.

"Check him," said Cell. 17 put his fingers to Gohan's neck. There was no pulse.

"He's gone."

Cell smirked and leaned over Gohan. "Goodbye, Mr. Son."

Videl materialized on top of the roof and went over to him and leaned down. "Gohan, listen to me. Kami told me that I would fall in love with The One. So you see, you can't be dead…because I love you!"

She kissed him and backed away.

Cell looked at her and sneered. "You think that's going to work? He's dead. Nothing can bring him back!" He started to walk away.

Gohan's eyes flew open and he got up.

Cell stopped and turned around. He looked at Gohan and all three agents raised their hands and fired _chi_ blasts.

"No." Gohan raised his hand and the blasts stopped. He lowered his hand and they extinguished. Gohan looked at Cell and saw the Cell Game for what it really was: lines of _chi_. He yelled and felt power coursing through his veins. His hair turned gold and his eyes blue. _Chi_ flew all around him.

Cell snarled and lunged at Gohan, punching him. Gohan blocked them all with one hand. He kicked Cell and he flew into the wall. Then Gohan flew toward Cell and vanished inside his body. Cell yelled and exploded. Gohan stood in his place. 17 and 18 gave one look at Gohan and ran.

At the Karin temple, Goku smiled. "He is The One."


End file.
